My Ex:Best Friend
by Kanata Saionji
Summary: They were the Best of Friends since Kindergarten. But circumstances drove them away from each other. And now, six years later, they meet again. Now, both their lives are different and more complicated than when they were 17..8TH CHAPTER UPDATED
1. Prologue

**My Ex-Best Friend**

**Summary: **They were the Best of Friends since Kindergarten. But circumstances drove them away from each other. And now, six years later, they meet again. Now, both their lives are different and more complicated than when they were seventeen… Will old feelings rekindle…?

**Prologue**

"I can't believe we actually graduated…!" a seventeen year old blonde in her blue graduation robes sighed, as she stared at the clear blue sky, sitting on one of the branches of a beautiful cherry-blossom tree with her legs swinging.

The brunet sitting next to her, closed his eyes and with a smirk said, "But that will never make you to start acting like a girl…"

"Hey!" she exclaimed.

"Oh wait…" he said, apologetically, "I totally forgot that you're not one!"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny Saionji," she said coldly.

"Well, thank you…" he said flashing her, a charming smile.

The blonde rolled her emerald orbs and the continued to stare up at the sky again. Her eyes lowered and she turned to see the cream colored building right in front of her—Her High School. It was the last time she might be seeing it as a student there.

Her heart contracted lightly and her eyes singed. She didn't want to cry in front of her most annoying Best Friend and be called a crybaby. So, she searched through her head for a change of topic but the brunet bat her to it.

"Yo Klutizalla, it's your boyfriend!" he called her with an unmistakable tease in his voice.

After throwing him a glare she looked down and like the brunet had said, there was her boyfriend standing there with a smile on his handsome face and his graduation robes on his shoulder.

Both teens jumped down to face the newcomer.

"Hey Mizuki…" greeted the blonde timidly, her face growing hot as the former greeted her back with a smile.

"Hey Miyu…" he said and then turning to the brunet said with a nod, "…Kanata…"

Kanata sighed lightly and then said with a smirk, "I'll leave you two "_lovebirds" _alone…" That received him a blow from the blonde and then said to Mizuki with an even wider smirk, "and be careful dude… the demon in her can wake up at any moment…"

"Jerk!" accused the blonde glaring at him.

He stuck his tongue out at her and then with his graduation robes on his shoulders and both his hands inside his pant front pockets, made his way away from the two lightly.

After the brunet left, silence enveloped the couple as the blonde stood fidgeting lightly. Miyu wondered what to say. It had been only a week before had he asked her out but she had been crushing on him since their Middle School years.

But before she could even part her lips for some randomly embarrassing statement about the weather or the politics, he beat her to it. Only it was an unexpected statement.

"I have something to tell you Miyu…"

Oh god… She knew it. It had been too good to be true. Now, he was going to dump her. Her stomach dropped an inch or so and she was trying very hard not to break into tears.

Finally finding her voice she asked in a croak, "w-what is it?"

Mizuki scratched his head and then said with difficultly, "I like you a lot Miyu…" Miyu's heart skipped a beat, "…but…"

"But what?" asked Miyu before she could stop herself, "but what Mizuki?"

She waited with bated breath as Mizuki struggled to get what was bothering him, out. A lot of possibilities crossed her mind… A lot… But the one he said was nothing close to any of them.

"It's Kanata…"

It took Miyu an entire minute to process what he had just said.

"W-w-what?" she asked, incredulously.

Mizuki kept mum.

"Kanata?" she asked disbelievingly, "what did _he_ do?"

It was about a whole minute before Mizuki answered.

"It's just… a lot of things…" Miyu's eyebrows rose, "you know, the way he looks at you…"

Miyu couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Kanata and I are just _**friends**_, Mizuki!"

Mizuki licked his lips impatiently and then scratching his head again said nervously, "I guess I'm just feeling a little insecure…"

"Mizuki…" she gasped, glaring at him, a little hurt.

"It's up to you, Miyu" he said, pursing his lips and fixating her with a culpable glance.

"Kanata's really important to me…" she muttered, tears threatening to fall, "he's my Best Friend!"

"I know…" he said, nodding his head, "but it won't work that way for me… I'm sorry…"

He hung his head.

There was silence in which Miyu understood his silent query.

"You want me to choose between you and Kanata…"

It wasn't a question and Mizuki knew that.

The first tear trickled down her cheek and her emerald orbs were wide with shock and surprise as the guy before her nodded his head once.

Miyu bit her lower lip and looked away. This was not what she had expected.

"It's your call Miyu," said Mizuki, his voice heavy.

"I-" choked Miyu, "I-I need t-time to think about it…"

Mizuki nodded understandingly and knew that it was his cue to leave her alone. He took a step away and then turned back to face her again. Miyu was glaring furiously at the grass beneath her feet, trying to swallow everything that she was going through at the moment.

She felt Mizuki still standing before her. She didn't know what to say or to do. But the latter obviously did for he placed his index finger on her chin supported by all his other fingers and forcing her to face him, although her eyes didn't oblige, he said in a husky whisper, "I like you a lot Miyu… and I don't want to lose you… hope you understand…"

Miyu nodded lightly. But she still refused to look at him directly.

Mizuki gave her a small smile and placed his lips softly over hers. Miyu was completely caught off-guard. She hadn't expected this but before she could do anything else, she found herself kissing him back. Mizuki wrapped his arms around her waist as she did the same to his neck.

Amidst the kiss, she made her decision.

* * *

"You certainly took your time…" accused the brunet with a smirk as he pushed back the locks of brunet hair that was covering his forehead only for it return to their original position, if possible even messier.

He was in his P.E. clothes (a black and red combo) and was standing with one foot on the substitutes table in their Indoor Basket-Ball Court, half-way through tying the lace to his shoes. Sweat was decorating his face and it was dripping like small drops of crystals.

The blonde remained silent as she stood by one of the hoops, trying to figure out how she was going to tell him Mizuki's request of her to part away from her best friend.

After finishing tying his lace, he picked up the basketball nearest to him and threw it at her going, "wanna play our last game?"

Miyu caught the ball and looked at him surprised.

"…as students of this school…?" he finished, smiling.

It took all her willpower to stop from crying. He was bound to notice something was wrong. After all, he knew her best.

"Miyu…? Is something wrong?" he asked, worriedly.

Miyu swallowed hard and was about to start when he smirked and asked, "Ah… Don't tell me… Did Mizuki find out you're a lousy kisser?"

She didn't even get irritated or angry like when he usually insults her. To the contrary, she was feeling very sad and all she felt like doing was wrap her arms around the brunet in front of her and cry her heart out.

Kanata gave her one calculating look and asked taking a step closer to her, "Seriously… is something wrong…?"

She didn't answer. He looked at her with a frown for an entire moment and then sighing, with his hands crossed said, "Well… _I_ have something to tell _you_"

Miyu looked at him, surprised.

He smiled at her widely and grabbing hold of both her shoulders and forcing her auburn eyes into her emerald orbs and with an unusually cheerful smile announced, "I'm moving to Tokyo!"

Miyu didn't know why but her brain was operating relatively slow that day—first with Mizuki and now with Kanata.

"Miyu…?" he called at her empty expression.

She failed to reply.

"Earth to Miyu…?"

"W-w-what?" she gasped.

"What?" he mirrored, taking a step away from her, and raising his eyebrows.

"You're moving…?" she asked in a whisper, incredulously.

"To Tokyo," he said gleefully.

"W-wh-why?" she stuttered, her heart racing.

"Why?" he asked, amazed, "don't you remember…? The scholarships that Miss Mizuno gave…?"

She frowned, straining her memory, trying to remember. Yes, Miss Mizuno had presented Kanata with dozens of scholarship applications before the Exams but…

"To Tokyo?" she asked, disbelievingly.

"Yeah…" he said, smiling, "you're the one who filled out my application forms… you're the one who _asked_ me accept…!"

"But…" she started, desperately, "Tokyo?"

"Yeah…" he said, "I heard it's an amazing Medical College… and hey..! When I graduate, I'll do a brain surgery on you for free… you're not going to live without a brain 'til death, are you?"

She didn't even have the energy to hit him for his insult. Rather she asked, "b-b-but you didn't want to go… You said it was t-t-too far away….!"

"Yeah I did…" he said shrugging, "can't a guy change his mind in this place anymore?"

"Idiot!" she whispered, her head bent a little.

"What?" asked Kanata, frowning.

"**You IDIOT**!" she shouted, looking at him with angry tears decorating her emerald orbs.

"Miyu?" he queried, a little worried.

"**OK leave!"** she found her voice rising, and sounded very much unlike her own, **"don't you dare come back!"**

"Miyu…?" he called, and this time the quiver in his voice was unmistakable but she was too angry to take notice.

"And here I was… thinking you're my _friend_!" she said, tears rolling down her cheeks, "Do you even **realize** what you're doing?"

"Miyu…"

"I d_umped_ the guy-of-my-dreams so that I could still be friends with **you**!" she flared, "and you decided to go away from me, you ungrateful little piece of crap…"

Kanata didn't respond. He was staring at her strangely, as if it was very usual for her to be shouting her head out at him like that.

"You know what?" she asked, smiling coldly, "Leave… leave and never come back… see if I care…!"

Kanata failed to respond yet again.

"**I hate you Kanata!" **she shouted and ran out of the court, leaving the sad brunet at his own measure, **"I hate you..!"**

**~Prologue End~**

**A/N:** How was it? Does it need any work? I hope you all liked it… Please Review…

_**Today's thought:**_

"Never change your originality

As no one can play your role better than you…

So, be _**yourself"**_


	2. To Tokyo

"_If I were to choose between betraying my country or my friend, I hope I shall have the courage to betray my country"_

_** -E. M. Foster**_

**My Ex-Best Friend**

**Chapter 1**

The twenty-three year old blonde looked at the elegantly decorated invitation for the umpteenth time that day. Her emerald orbs were focused on nothing but the venue of the Wedding for which the Invitation was sent to her. She sighed and dropped on her back on the couch she was sitting on, exhausted.

She dropped the Invitation on the coffee table and got to her feet. She looked up at the wall clock and was a little surprised to see it inform her that she was due to catch her train in exactly an hour and a half. But she still hadn't decided whether she really was going or not.

As she got to her feet and headed towards the bathroom, to get a quick shower, she was sure that Christine would kill her if she didn't go. To be honest, she was surprised that she was still alive after she declined Christine's request for her to be the maid of honor.

She sighed as the hot water washed through her body. She wished that she had also not accepted to be one of the bridesmaids but she couldn't bring herself to decline something which her friend requested as her Wedding Gift. And now, she was facing leaving the quite little town of Heiomachi to go attend the Wedding which was in a week.

But that's not the worse part, as Miyu reminded herself for the hundredth time. It's the place where the Wedding is located that is pissing her off. She had blanched the moment she heard that the Wedding was to be held in Tokyo—the place she despised and will despise till death.

She wrapped a white towel around herself and walked into the hall. She was about to go into her room to change when the phone rang.

"Hello…?" she asked, trying to hold back the irritation she was feeling at the moment.

"_Miyu?" _the voice of her mother came through the receiver.

"Mom?" asked Miyu, smiling lightly, "how's the trip going?"

"_It's fantastic, honey…"_ replied her mother, and Miyu could almost see the huge grin on her mom's face, _"you're father is renting us a boat at this very moment actually…"_

Miyu smiled.

"_I totally forgot what I wanted to tell you!" _exclaimed her mom, _"Your grandma called and she wants you to stay with her when you're in Tokyo…"_

Miyu nodded and then realizing that her mom would not be able to see her at it, said, "Yea mom… I'll go straight to her place…"

"_OK then… I hope to see you soon, sweetheart…" _

As Miyu replaced the receiver a few seconds later, she couldn't help thinking that this spree to Tokyo wasn't such a good idea at all.

Sighing again, she walked over to her room and changed into a collared-full-sleeve-white-shirt and a chocolate brown knee-length skirt to match and with a look out of her window, pulled her cream colored sleeveless sweater over her shirt.

She took her traveling bag in her right hand and walked out of her room. She looked at the Invitation lying innocuously on the coffee table and sighing in defeat, picked it up and slipped it into her handbag.

Turning off the lights, she picked up her coat and walked out of her the Kouzuki Residence, locking the doors behind her. She took in a deep breath of the evening air and made her way to the Train Station knowing fully well that this was not going to help her already low priority levels. She was most certainly walking into her own doom.

** ~ My Ex-Best Friend ~**

Her emerald orbs were only half focused as she stared out of the window to the train that was speeding past buildings and towns and cities taking her to the one place she was trying very hard to pretend never existed.

She closed her emerald orbs and found herself thinking back to why she hates the city so much. Well, the answer was simple but at the same time complicated—Kanata Saionji, her Best Friend; Correction, her Ex-Best-Friend.

Yes, he had left their town to go study there. But, so did many of her friends. But the rest all had applied for jobs there and not to leave after high school, never to come back.

So, finally, in addition to detesting her Best Friend for having abandoned her in the times of need, she started to detest the magnificent city as well.

She opened her eyes and as if it had happened just yesterday, the things that happened after her graduation flashed through her mind. She could still remember her crush telling her how he felt and their first kiss.

"_I like you a lot Miyu… and I don't want to lose you… hope you understand…"_

And then, they had kissed.

She remembered back to what she had said to Mizuki Yamamura about when he asked her to choose between him and her best friend, Kanata—when she was asked to choose between Love and Friendship.

"_I'm sorry Mizuki…"_ she had said, _"I like you too… a lot more than you could imagine… But, I cannot abandon Kanata… that idiot means too much to me… and… it would disgrace the friendship the two of us have…"_

That put a full-stop to her first ever relationship with the guy she had been crushing on since Middle School. But after all that, her so-called _Best friend_ left her when she needed him the most.

Six Years…

It had been six years since she had last seen or heard of him. He had never returned to Heiomachi. But from snatches of conversation that she had heard from her friends, she knew that he had graduated with flying colors and now was practicing at the Unmei Hospital in Tokyo.

She sighed.

He was a doctor.

And she…

Well, she was managing the Flower Shop that her mother opened for her. Although, she loved flowers but the job never gave her any satisfaction. She was doing nothing compared to her friends' careers.

Christine Hanakomachi, the so-to-be-bride, was the Vice-President to the Hanakomachi Group of Companies. And now she was getting married to one of the partners', a Mr. Takeshi Yamabuki. Miyu had never actually met the guy in person for she never left Heiomachi but from what her friends and Chris says, he's supposed to be extremely nice and caring.

Nanami Tenchi, one of her other friends from High School, was working at the same Hospital as Kanata. She was an orthodontist. That had come as a surprise for everybody as Nanami was too enthusiastic to be taking Medical. But her work was a surprise too as she was termed as pretty good which is saying something for kids preferred to call her "the-lady-who-pulls-out-tooth".

Aya Konishi, known for her path-breaking (and slightly tiring) plays at school, turned out as the Chief Writer to one of the most popular soaps in the country—"Live for Tomorrow".

Santa Kurosu, the guy who always went crazy for the tiniest things, (and Kanata's closest guy-friend), works for one of the leading Magazines—"Dirt"—in Tokyo as the Creative Head. His crazy ideas always get the magazines off their racks.

And finally, Nozomu Hikarigaoka, the flirt and playboy of their High School gang, is practicing Criminal Law with his own firm in the city. He's supposed to be really good but Miyu could never imagine Nozomu defending a case without presenting the judge (if it's a woman) with a rose.

And now, she was going to see them all—right from the flirtatious lawyer to the Best Friend who left her. Although she would rather not see him, she couldn't help but wonder what he was like now. Was he still the jerk who always teased her…? Still the hottie who got all the girls at their High School drooling all over him…? Or did he change after coming to Tokyo…? Would he apologize for leaving her…? Would they become friends again…?

She closed her eyes at the weight of all those tormenting questions.

She drifted into an uneasy sleep and welcomed her usual nightmare: a brunet standing in a basketball court, wearing a doctor's coat.

** ~ My Ex-Best Friend ~**

"Hey Grandma!" greeted the blonde as the door to the apartment opened revealing a cheerful old lady in her mid-fifties with light blonde hair that had grayed through the years and a huge smile.

"Ah! Miyu, honey!" greeted her grandma and hugged the blonde tight and squeezed.

Miyu smiled and hugged her back. She missed her grandma a lot.

"I missed you a lot, sweetie…" said her grandma, as she cupped the blonde's face with her hands.

"I missed you too, grandma," replied Miyu smiling.

"How are you doing?" enquired the old lady, as she walked into the apartment, carrying the blonde's traveling bag.

"Great…" said Miyu, as she hanged her coat and sat down at the couch in the living room, exhausted.

"How are your parents?" asked her grandma as she sat down next to the blonde with a huge smile.

"Out on a vacation to Paris…" said Miyu, smirking, "they would be back in a week or so…"

"The flower shop?"

"It's moving…" Miyu shrugged.

"Do you want me to draw you a bath?"

"That would be great grandma…" said Miyu cheerfully as at the sound of her grandma's offer, she realized how tired she actually was.

"Give me one minute," said her grandma and with more energy than usual, she trotted to the bathroom.

Miyu smiled at her as she disappeared into the bathroom. She just loved her grandma. She always showed more energy than justifiable for her age. She was always filled with surprises and warmth—just like her son.

Miyu's mobile rang and she flipped it open to see Christine's name flash on the screen. She turned it on and with the phone to her left ear, greeted, "hey Chris!"

"_Miyu…?" _came Christine's voice, _"Where are you…?"_

"At my grandma's place," informed Miyu as she walked over to her bag, which was dropped off by her grandma at the spare room, "I just got here…"

"_That's great…!" _exclaimed Christine, _"you actually came!"_

Miyu merely smiled as she went through her bag with the mobile balanced by her shoulder, searching for her PJs to wear after the bath.

"_Listen Miyu… drop by at Nanami's place tomorrow evening…" _she said excitedly, _"we're going for some last-minute-shopping!"_

"Can't wait…" said Miyu sarcastically, raising her eyebrows, "Where does Nanami live, anyway?"

After giving her the address, Chris further added, _"be there before three… we don't want to be late coming back home…"_

Miyu sighed and muttered, "Yeah… sure… meet you at three tomorrow evening at Nanami's place".

"_OK, bye… Good Night, Miyu…"_ said Christine. "'Night…" said Miyu and hung up.

She sighed as she dropped her phone on the bed.

"Miyu…?" her grandma poked her head into the room, "you're bath's ready…"

"Thanks grandma…" she said with a smile.

"Don't mention it, sweetie…"

As Miyu placed her head back on the towel on the bathtub, her body relaxing in the warmth of the bath, she couldn't help admiring her grandma's amazing skill at drawing the perfect bath. The warmth and the relaxation that the bath was providing her let her mind clear and helped her to think more perceptibly.

"_That's great…!" exclaimed Christine, "you actually came!"_

She could still hear the surprise in Christine's voice.

She wondered whether nobody believed that she would actually turn up. She sunk deeper into the bath and thought about what she should actually be doing. She wondered whether it was a good or a bad idea that she decided to come to Tokyo. She closed her eyes. She had no idea.

**~My Ex-Best Friend~**

It was nearly one in the evening, the next day, when her grandma came bustling into the apartment, startling the poor blonde sitting on the couch, flipping through channels.

"Miyu!" exclaimed the old lady, as relief spread through her face.

"What is it grandma..?" asked Miyu, worriedly, "is everything alright?"

"Oh... well… its fine…" shrugged her grandma, "just that…"

"What is it?" pressed Miyu, getting to her feet.

"Well, I forgot to pick up the dry cleaning," explained her grandma as she searched through the counters in the kitchen for something, "I was at the shop when I remembered it and I forgot the receipt here somewhere…"

"Oh," said Miyu.

Her grandma turned with her hands at her hips, glancing through the huge apartment, wondering where the receipt was, her lips pursed.

"Can I help?" asked Miyu, tentatively.

The old woman looked at the blonde questioningly and then breaking into a smile said, "That would be great honey… you see," she continued through her search, "Akane failed to make it today, and Ran is too lazy that he'd actually see the jewels get stolen…"

Miyu frowned as she had no idea what her grandma was about to ask her to do at all. She stood there, waiting as he grandma finished searching through the cabinets in the bathroom and entered the hall again, exhausted.

"Could you go and keep an eye on the shop?" asked the old lady, "just till I get back…"

"But grandma… I don't know where the shop is…" pointed out Miyu, "and I have to go to Nanami's place by three…"

"Don't worry, Miyu…" assured the old lady as she darted into her room, "I'll be back before you know it and the shop is just a block away… you remember what it's called, right?"

"_Fantasy Jewelers" _read Miyu as she stood outside the glass doors to the Jewelry Shop that her grandma owned.

She sighed as she looked at her watch. It was half past one and she hoped that her grandma would be back soon. She pushed open the doors and entered the looked around nervously and then, noticing her, a guy with raven-hair and ember eyes approached her with a cheerful smile.

"You must be Miyu!" he said cheerfully, "Mrs. Kouzuki has told us so much about you…"

Miyu forced a smile for she was sure there was nothing her grandma could say that would make her feel proud.

"I'm Ran, by the way," he extended his hand which she took reluctantly.

"Hi".

"I know why she sent you," he muttered, pulling her by her hand, his cheerful face suddenly serious.

Miyu gulped and frowned.

The raven-haired suddenly gave her a bright smile and letting go of her hand said, "She _never_ trusts me… Not even once!"

Miyu smiled and said, "I bet she has her own reasons…"

Ran gave her a smirk and then said, "Ah… that's possible…. Anyway, you can take over that section," he pointed at a counter where necklaces and pendants of the most beautiful kind that she had ever laid her eyes on were arranged, "not many go there…"

Miyu nodded and once she was positioned behind the counter, Ran kneeled over the counter, facing her and informed, "the price tags will tell you the prices of each ornaments… and we have the same designs in both silver and platinum" he pointed at the gold ornaments that were arranged inside glass cases, "the number behind the price tag is the number of its replicas which can be found inside the counters", he pointed to the shelves of the counter that faced Miyu.

Miyu nodded as she took in all of that information. She just hoped that she doesn't get any customers till grandma comes back from picking up the dry cleaning.

She waited and glanced around the shop. It was a medium sized one but her grandma certainly knew how to decorate it. It looked very beautiful and very much tempting for the people passing by it outside. It took her only a few minutes to realize that almost all the customers, which were almost always women, went to Ran's counter.

She smiled as she realized that her grandma was a little wrong.

Ran actually was _bringing_ customers to the shop with his easy smiles and twinkling eyes.

She was actually starting to like this raven-haired. When he noticed her looking at him, he gave her a huge smirk and winked at her. Miyu began to hyperventilate lightly and turned her gaze to the front door, hoping her grandma would be back soon.

It was nearly half past two when the Miyu lost all patience and decided to leave. She didn't even open her mouth to inform Ran that she was leaving when the door to the shop opened.

"This is punishment!" came the graceful voice of a woman.

Miyu turned to see a beautiful raven-haired woman about the same age as her, give or take a year, walking into the shop with a smile decorating her full lips and pulling lightly a handsome brunet into the shop.

"I didn't _do_ anything!" protested the brunet, his free hand ruffling his brunet locks, "you asked me a question and I…"

"...hesitated!" accused the azure-eyed female as she dragged him towards Miyu's counter, "and now, you're going to get me something nice and I'm going to love it!"

The brunet sighed.

The couple walked over to Miyu's counter, and they didn't even reach close enough when the girl exclaimed pointing at a beautiful heart-shaped golden pendant on display, "I _love_ this one!"

She forced the brunet to see the pendant, which he did, almost lazily.

"It's _lovely_" he said, sarcasm pouring through his intonation, "We'll buy it…"

"No," said the raven-haired with a smirk.

The brunet sighed.

She looked up at the blonde and asked, "Can I see this in platinum?"

"Platinum?" gasped the brunet, "You're gonna get me bankrupt!"

"Oh stop with the whining…" she said playfully hitting his chest, and then turning to Miyu asked again, "Can I see it…?"

Miyu, who up until that moment, been staring at the brunet, petrified snapped out of her trance and then bent to the shelves and searched for the Platinum version of the Heart-shaped Pendant.

Her heart was beating so fast that she wondered how she was still alive. She got the glass box containing the platinum pendant and then closed her eyes, breathing slowly.

"Do you have it or not?" came the girl's impatient voice.

"Give the girl a break, Akira…" the brunet sighed, "not many people are used to your frantic jewelry shopping…"

His voice made Miyu's already tense heart go even more frenzied.

Nonetheless, Miyu took in a deep breath and stood up. She smiled at the girl and placed the box on the table for the two to see. The brunet glanced from the golden locket to the platinum one several times and then frowned.

"How come it has a diamond on it?" he enquired, till looking at the locket and not chancing even a glace at the blonde, "the gold one didn't have a diamond… How come—?"

He stopped in mid-sentence as he looked up and saw the blonde. His auburn orbs widened and his lips moved forming her name, though no sound came out.

Miyu was trying to focus her attention on the pendant which was now being examined by the raven-haired with a smile playing across her lips.

"I'm sorry sir but this is the only version of the pendant we have in Platinum…"

Ran had come to her rescue.

She took a step back and stood behind Ran and forced herself to look at the floor, as her emerald orbs threatened to break at any moment now. She could feel his intense and confused gaze on her but she didn't look up to confirm it.

"We'll take it!" came the girl's cheerful voice, "oops… what do _you_ think, Kanata? After all, you're paying…"

Kanata finally tore his eyes away from the blonde and said to the raven-haired in a choked voice, "If you like it, we'll buy it…"

The raven haired smiled at him and kissing him on the cheek said huskily, "and that's why I love you…"

With that, she dragged him to the cash counter to buy the pendant which was being carried over to the same counter by Ran.

As she dragged him, Kanata stared at Miyu, disbelievingly. But she didn't look up at him. She bit her lower lip as the first tear rolled down her cheek.

** ~End Chapter 1~**

** A/N:** How was it? Any good…? Please review…


	3. Bridezilla

**My Ex-Best Friend**

"_**The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her"**_

_ ~Marcelene Cox_

**Chapter 2**

'I'm sorry guys… But I don't feel so good right now… I think I'm coming down with something… I don't want you guys to catch it too… so you go on without me…'

Yes, a well thought out reason for not going. They're bound to accept it if I give them my best puppy-dog-look and give a long letter of apology the next day. No, strike the last part. I'll just stick to a normal apology.

Yes, that sounded pretty right. A normal apology and it'll all be fine. They'll accept it and I'll pack my bags and get the next train out of this freaking city and head back to my peaceful home in Heiomachi.

I took in a deep breath as I stared at the buzzer outside the apartment. I pulled out of the piece of paper that held Nanami's address and checked it once again in case I got to the wrong place. It was the right apartment alright. I checked the number and pressed the apartment number "7" on the intercom and waited for a reply.

"Hello!" the voice of my orthodontist of a friend's buzzed through the intercom, "is that you Miyu?"

I hesitated for a while.

"Hey Nanami…" I faltered.

"Come right up!"

It was the unmistakable voice of one of my other friends, Aya Konishi.

I hesitated again.

I was pretty positive about my explanation on why I won't be able to come to their shopping-spree but at the sound of their voices, I wasn't very much sure I'd be able to lie to their faces. I'd better say it through the intercom itself. It'll save the effort of going through turmoil of hesitation and conscience all the way up to her apartment.

"Listen guys…" I started, trying to remember back to the well-thought out explanation but suddenly I seem to remember nothing.

"Save your breath!"

It was Christine.

"Yeah, we know what happened at the shop," Nanami's voice sounded, "just come up so that we can talk… or _not_ talk about it!"

"How… how did you know?" I flabbergasted.

"Just come on up," said Christine, "We'll explain…"

* * *

**~My Ex-Best Friend~**

**

* * *

**

"Tell me again _why _we have to shop for your new house's garnishing with only a week left till your wedding?" asked Nanami coldly as she lifted an odd looking china vase and used the scanner in her hand, which shot a horizontal red light on the price tag of the vase, with a revolted look in her eyes, "and shouldn't your _fiancé_ help as well?"

"Well, I think there are a few things missing in that house… and, Takeshi couldn't make it cause he has some work to do," said Christine with a beautiful looking china plate on her hand, "_and_ I don't think we'll need that vase, you know Nanami…?"

Nanami cocked her eyebrows and said, "deal with it Hanakomachi…!"

Christine sighed.

"But you could've gone sooner, right?" asked Miyu lightly as she looked around the huge shop wondering what would look nice in Christine's new house (or should we just call it what it really is: a mini-Palace?).

"Well actually, we planned on doing it last month…" said Christine, now a little too much interested in the patterns of the plates whilst her two other friends except the blonde looked at her with raised eyebrows, "but we ended up spending the entire day together at my place…"

Aya stuffed a giggle with the scanner in her hand while Nanami just rolled her eyes.

"What?" asked Miyu innocently, unable to grasp the real meaning of Christine's simple statement.

"Honestly, you don't understand?" asked Aya, looking at Miyu.

Nanami however was staring at the crimson Christine and said, "Geez… in the middle of daylight? What are you guys…? Animals…?"

Miyu turned bright crimson as she finally understood what the three girls were talking about.

"Shall we not talk about it anymore?" asked Christine, moving away towards the floor rags and looking at them cynically, with still a tinge of crimson on her cheeks.

Nanami merely rolled her eyes and went back to tagging all odd stuff on Christine and went about to find some more.

"Hey Aya…" called Miyu, finally.

The young writer turned to the blonde and asked, "What is it?"

"You guys haven't told me how you knew about what happened at the shop…" she pointed out, hesitatingly.

"Kanata told us of course," said Aya smiling.

"Oh," said Miyu. Well, she had guessed that far. But there was still a nagging feeling inside of her that she couldn't put her finger on. Rather, she went about to scanning the amazing shop for what to buy.

She found a lot of stuff that she really liked but was still a little faltered to tag it on Christine. So at the end of the shopping, Nanami had cost Christine nearly a fortune for merely nothing but junk but the latter didn't mind but threatened that she'll do the same for her one day.

It was nearly nine and they had bought almost everything. They had ordered the furniture, the drapes and all that would be needed almost immediately on getting into her new home—which Nanami had pointed out almost a hundred times—which would already be furnished. But Christine didn't pay heed to any of her friend's wails.

They had also got the ordered bridesmaids' dresses for the three.

And finally, they had only one thing to buy—the most important.

"You look so beautiful, Christine…" whined Aya as she looked at the pink-haired, who was standing on a small podium with mirrors covering one side.

"You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen…" said Miyu, almost close to tears as she saw her friend dressed in a very beautifully decorated pearly-white wedding gown which was specially designed and ordered for her wedding.

"I know…" said Christine, looking at herself in the mirror, also close to tears.

"Quit it you three…!" blanched Nanami, "you're gonna make me throw up!"

"That's not a very nice thing to say to a soon-to-be-bride!" flared Christine, raising her eyebrows at her maid-of-honor.

"Enjoy it while it lasts…" said Nanami, testily.

Christine glared at her. "How did she become Chris' maid-of-honor, anyway?" Miyu asked in a whisper to Aya, who stood there, examining the scene with interest, "with the two bickering all the time?"

"Oh _that_…" said Aya thoughtfully, "after you said no, we tossed a coin…"

"Very well thought-out decision," said Miyu, with a sincere look in her eyes.

Aya smirked.

Nearly ten minutes later, after they had the gown packed and paid, Miyu asked her friends painfully, "can we go _now_?"

"Not yet!" said Christine, grabbing Miyu's shoulder, with a glint in her eyes.

"What?" asked Miyu, "there's still more?"

"Yup!" exclaimed Aya.

"Yeah…" said Nanami, smirking, "we're going to teach you how to raise your self-esteem when you have guy-trouble…"

"But I don't have guy-trouble…" Miyu pointed out the obvious.

"Yea… yea… tell it to someone who believes ya…" said Nanami and dragged Miyu back to the dressing rooms grabbing a wedding gown on the way.

"No. no. no. no," said Miyu, "I'm not going to try out wedding gowns!"

"Why not?" asked Christine.

"Yea… we do it all the time!" said Aya defensively.

"But its _weird_!" said Miyu, repulsed.

"I know…" muttered Nanami under her breath.

"C'mon Miyu…" urged Chris, jumping lightly with her hands on the blonde's shoulders, "try it… Trust me, you'd love it!"

Miyu looked at the beautiful wedding dress in her hand and then looked at her three friends and then with a sigh made towards the dressing room going, "oh alright… but you guys owe me big time!"

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" asked Nanami under her breath in Aya's ear to which the latter merely smiled.

Fifteen minutes later, Miyu emerged out of the dressing room in the long pearly-white sleeveless wedding dress which was decorated with flowers and frills at the very end of the gown. Holding on to the lower-part of the gown with both her hands, she walked slowly and carefully out of the dressing room and searched for her three friends who seemed to have suddenly disappeared.

Assuming they were just in the ladies-room, she walked onto the podium and examined herself in the mirror, crimson in her cheeks. She twirled lightly and looked at herself from all sides, going steadily pink. She looked about if anybody was watching and then realizing that the coast was clear, she let down the dress and smiled at her image on the mirror.

Although, she hated to admit it, her friends had been right. This really did make her feel better.

"I really wanna get married to someone right now," she muttered, breathing out heavily.

"Well, I seriously wouldn't want to be _that_ guy…"

She turned swiftly to see a handsome brunet leaning on the wall, his arms crossed and a teasing smirk running along his lips and his auburn orbs twinkling up at her.

"Kanata?" she gasped.

"Hey Bridezilla!" he greeted with another smirk and then nodding at her added, "I see you're all set up to destroy another city…"

Anger rushed through her veins and before she could think about what she was doing, she grabbed an empty cardboard box which was lying innocently and then at a sprint started hitting the brunet.

"You. Idiot" she said, hitting him at the end of every word, "how. Dare. You. Call. Me. Names. After. What. You. Did!"

"Ow… that hurts…" he cowered and backed away.

"You jerk!" she cried and came closer to hit him again but this time, sensing what was coming, the brunet grabbed the cardboard box in a swift movement.

"Miyu, listen!" he started but he was unable to continue for the blonde in the bride's dress, took a sudden movement and started punching him with her fist wherever she could find space.

"Ow…!" cried Kanata in pain, "seriously, where did you get all this strength from?"

"You moron!" she continued on her rampage, tears now rolling down her emerald orbs, "I thought you were my _Best Friend_! How could you leave me…? How could you just-?"

He grabbed both her wrists suddenly and with a serious look in his eyes, said, "I'm sorry…"

She heard him but she was too angry to forgive him that easily.

"Let go, you jerk!" she struggled to break free from his grasp but he was just a _little_ [*ahem*] too strong for her.

He forced her to look in his eyes so that he could show how sincere and genuine he was and said in a croaky voice, "I'm sorry… I know I'm such an idiot for leaving like that… I'm really sorry…"

"Me too!" she snarled.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said lightly, but added off-handedly, "except maybe perhaps hitting me…"

"No stupid," she snapped, glaring at him, "I meant I _know_ you're an idiot too!"

"Oh," he said thoughtfully.

"Let go…" she muttered, threateningly, "or else…"

"Or else what?" he snorted, despite himself, and then looking up and down asked incredulously, "you goanna marry me…? _Please_ no… that would be the worst punishment ever!"

"You idiot!" she shouted and wrenched her wrists away from his grasp.

"Miyu…" he started again, the smirk being replaced again by the sincere look.

"Save it!" she snapped pointing her index finger at him furiously, "Not only did you just leave… you never came back!"

"Hey!" he retorted finally, frowning lightly, "that's your fault!"

"How would it be _my _fault?" she asked angrily.

He relaxed lightly with a sad look in his eyes and then turning away from her muttered, "because… because you said I shouldn't come back…"

Despite herself, Miyu found all her fury ebbing away at the sight of her ex-best friend looking gloomy all of a sudden. He turned to look back at her and said in a croaky whisper, "that day… it went all wrong," he smiled sadly, "I was planning… well I was planning to ask you to come with me…"

"Really…?" she asked in a light whisper.

He was planning to ask her to come with him? To Tokyo…?

He turned away from her gaze again and continued, "r-really… but you were in too much fury to listen to me…"

She looked down, unable to take in what the brunet was saying. Six years… she had wasted six years.

"I'm sorry…" he said, bowing lightly his hair covering his eyes, "I should've explained… I-"

"I'm so sorry Kanata!" she cried suddenly, "I should've let you speak… I should've asked you why you were doing it! It's my entire fault… I'm sorry"

Tears rolled down her cheek as she forced herself not to look at the brunet.

"I'm sorry too…" he muttered.

She looked up at him.

There was an awkward silence.

"Why don't we just forget everything…?" he asked lightly.

"Six years Kanata…" she smiled through her tears, "hard to forget…"

He smiled back and wiping away her tears asked, "Why don't we start over…?"

She glowed with happiness as he backed away after wiping away her tears, "you serious…?"

"Friends…?" he asked, extending his hand with a smile.

Her smile widened and taking his hand finished, "…Forever!"

His smile seemed to flicker for a second but a wide smirk appeared across his lips as he said, "you know… you haven't changed much…"

She frowned lightly.

"Mentally…" he said smiling as he tapped her forehead lightly and then looking at her up and down added with a smirk, "_and_ physically…!"

She flared and then snapped, "What would _you _know!"

He smiled widely.

Her anger disappeared again and smiling she said, "Idiot…!"

She pounced and hugged him tight, her arms wrapping around his neck.

After a second of shock, he hugged her back.

"I missed this…" she said, squeezing him tighter.

"I missed _us,_" he breathed.

"Finally!"

The two let go at the exclamation from their short-haired orthodontist who was standing a few feet back at the dressing rooms, with their two other friends coming out of the dressing rooms, pleased at their two friends getting back together.

"You know…" said Kanata, raising his eyebrows, "it's impolite to eavesdrop…"

"Oh quit it..!" said Nanami, "we got you back with your best-friend!"

Kanata sighed and said, "Who am I kidding…? Eavesdropping… that's what women _do_… Sorry for calling you girls impolite… I forgot that that's what you all are…!"

The four women glared at him from all four angles.

He waved a white flag going, "Sorry…?"

"Anyway…"

"I'm so glad you two are friends again!" exclaimed Christine and rushed towards the blonde and hugged her.

"Me too!" piped Aya and joined the hug.

"Hey… I wanna join too!" exclaimed Nanami and the four girls hugged.

Kanata took a careful step away from the four girls but not for long.

"C'mon Kanata!" called Miyu smiling.

"Yeah… join the _looove…"_ smirked Nanami.

"I think I'll pass," said Kanata with a strained smile.

"Oh come on!" called Christine.

"I'm in the middle of a bridal gown shop with four other women…" he pointed out, "if people see me in the middle of a group hug with you girls, they're gonna think I'm gay…"

"Like _you_ care…" snapped Miyu with a smirk.

Kanata sighed and joined the group hug going, "I'm sure I'm gonna regret this somewhere in the near future…"

He broke away fairly quickly and said, "Well, I gotta go… Akira's still at my apartment… I've gotta drop her off…"

The girls waved as he turned to leave but he stopped mid-way and then turned and taking one long step hugged Miyu lightly.

Breaking away he said to her thoughtfully, "Miyu, I think you have to change…"

"Oh!" she looked down and realized that she was still wearing the wedding gown, "you're right… I totally forgot…!"

"Yea… moreover, think about the poor girl who has to wear it not knowing it was once worn by a monster," he said seriously.

"You-"

"I'll see you tomorrow…" he said with a huge smile and then made his way out of the shop waving at the four girls.

Miyu smiled as she watched him leave, her heart extremely light and her spirits high.

"I think we should leave…" suggested Aya, "I have an important appointment in the morning…"

"Yeah… let's go…" Christine added as Nanami yawned looking at her watch.

But Miyu was too happy to take notice of how sleepy and tired she was. After all, it's not as though you get back with your Best-Friend after six years, everyday, right?

* * *

** ~End Chapter 2~**

**

* * *

**

A/N: I'm extremely sorry about all the mistakes I made in the last chapter. I hope I don't do it in the future… So, how did you all like this one? Please let me know… ;-)


	4. Chaperone

**My Ex-Best Friend**

"_Just think… if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults at all"_

**Chapter 3**

Miyu looked at herself in the full-length mirror for the umpteenth time that night. She bit her lower lip as she scanned herself in the mirror.

It was the night of Christine's rehearsal dinner and she was wearing a dress that Christine lent her for the night as she hadn't packed one and as she refused to buy a new one.

And now she was left with wearing a knee-length long black sleeveless dress which made her turn crimson every time she looked at herself in the mirror. She pushed the stray locks of blonde hair behind her ears and then unable to take it any longer, tied it up into a pony-tail with a white ribbon.

She sighed and looked at the small clock on the dresser beside the bed. It showed that she had nearly five minutes left till Nanami was coming to pick her up to take her to the Hotel where the rehearsal dinner was going to take place.

She grabbed the small black purse on top the dresser and walked out of her room. Once out in the living room, she closed the door to her room and hadn't taken one step when the doorbell rang.

Taking in a deep breath, Miyu readied herself for the night.

**~My Ex-Best Friend~**

"Oh just look at those two…" said Miyu, as she stood beside her friends looking at the soon-to-be-married couple, "they look so great together…"

Aya sighed with a smile whilst Nanami was busy staring to her left with a frown plastered across her face. The three were standing at one of the corners of the Dinner Hall each carrying a glass of drink.

It was nearing ten and the Rehearsal Dinner was coming to a close. Santa was in a conversation with one of Christine's relatives who was supposed to be running an editorial in France. One could almost read the difficulty in the lad's eyes as he tried ever-so hard to catch up with the woman as she just rapidly spoke in French, with a glint in her eyes.

On the other hand, Nozomu, the blond attorney was busy flirting with one of Takeshi's five sisters.

The three girls, however, had been busy taking care of everybody and the most difficult of the jobs was handed over to Nanami by Chris, in the pretext that she was the maid-of-honor. But the former believes that she was getting her back for all she had said and done this past week. Secretly, Miyu believes so too.

"Hey girls…!"

The three turned in one motion to see the blond attorney by their side with two glasses of margarita in his hands.

"Hey Nozomu…" chorused Aya and Miyu but Nanami asked with a smirk, "what's her name?"

He looked at her, and asked innocently, "who?"

"The one you're bringing _margarita_ to," she said, touching one of the glasses with another smirk.

"Ah… err…" he racked his memories, "something to do with Yamabuki, right?"

The three raised their eyebrows to which he sweat-dropped and said shrugging, "hey…! I know that she's the youngest of the five though!"

"Weren't you with the eldest when the dinner started?" asked Aya curiously.

"Was I?" asked Nozomu, looking downright thoughtful.

He laughed uncertainly and said, "Well… better not forget about this one too…"

With that, he left the three girls and returned to the youngest Yamabuki and handed one of the glasses to her.

"Men…" sighed Nanami, shaking her head.

"You said it!" piped Aya.

"Talking about men…" started Nanami, looking about the hall, peering above everyone's heads, "where's Kanata…?"

"I haven't seen him since the dinner," said Miyu, thoughtfully.

"Probably with that Kijoyu…" said Nanami irritably.

Miyu frowned for a moment and then asked, "I'm not sure guys… but you are not acting fair… she's Kanata's girlfriend… why do you all don't like her so much?"

"Oh… you got it all wrong Miyu," said Nanami smiling, "we don't "not like her"… we _hate _her!"

Miyu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why? If Kanata likes her, shouldn't we all?"

"It's complicated, Miyu…" said Aya, kindly.

"She's too much to bear actually…" said Nanami, taking a sip of her beverage.

"But she is pretty…"

"…spoilt…"

"Guys…"

"She's high-maintenance…" added Aya.

"Oh ya… like when she tried to kick us all out of Kanata's apartment only cause we weren't wearing formals…" said Nanami, recalling a revolting incident which was evident with the reaction of her face.

"And the time when she made that face at Christine's home-made pie…?"

"And Chris is just as wealthy as her…!"

"And the time when…"

Miyu watched with a blank face as her two friends went on to discuss the faults of her ex-best friend's current girlfriend. It was hard for her to digest, with all this information that Kanata would actually go for someone like that. But she wasn't one to judge for she knew nothing as to what kinda girl he'd go for seeing as he never dated one when in Heiomachi.

She sighed wondering why he never did that.

She opened her mouth to ask her friends to stop criticizing Akira any more when she heard someone clear their throat behind her.

The two jumped in surprise and the three gasped in unison, "Kanata…!"

The brunet smiled at the three but there was something crooked about that smile.

"We were…. We were just…" started Aya with a red face.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Christine wants you two," he said, nodding at Nanami and Aya.

"Oh," said Aya.

"Great. Thanks. Let's go Aya," said Nanami stiffly and dragged Aya along with her.

The two girls left leaving the two friends alone. Miyu chanced a glance at the brunet, who looked thoughtful with both his hands into his pant's front-pockets.

Taking a deep breath, she parted her lips to ask Kanata about the issues that his girlfriend has with his best-friends. But as he looked up at her and smiled, she forgot all about them.

She closed her mouth and looked to the floor, her hand absent-mindedly cruising along the edges of the glass that she was holding.

"Um… do you wanna refill?" he asked, a little awkwardly, pointing at her empty glass.

"Err… well… ya… sure…" she extended her glass to him.

He nodded lightly and took the glass from her and headed to the drinks table whilst she followed.

He was pouring her a drink when unable to contain herself, she asked, "where's Akira…?"

"Ah… well, she left," he informed as he handed her the glass with a smile.

"Why?" she asked before she could stop herself.

He sipped his glass without responding and then taking the glass away from his lips, looked down at the floor.

"Well… she was… she was not feeling very well," he answered lightly, not meeting her eye, "um… I'm gonna see what Santa's up to… See you, Miyu…"

With that he left. That was a good thing for Miyu had half-a-mind to ask him why he was lying to her face. Well, she thought, as she took a sip from her glass, he must have his own reasons.

She sighed.

One thing was sure; Kanata did not change for the better coming here to Tokyo. As a matter of fact, the city turned him from an immature teen who chose to speak his mind to a mature youth who lied for reasons only known to him.

She sighed again and sat down at one of the round tables, thinking that those are the very traits of a normal adult.

As she sat down at the empty table, her eyes wandered around the hall, stopping at her friends, one at a time and pertained on a particular one for a longer period than the others.

She placed the empty glass on the table and looked at it, her eyelids almost closing. Seeing her friends like this, all settled in life, made her wonder where she was. She has a mediocre job in her little town and lived with her parents. Yes, it was pretty lame. She had to agree on that one fact.

Thinking along those lines, she had to control the tears that tried to force their way out of her emerald orbs. She closed them tightly and took in a deep breath. There was no silver lining in her life. Almost everything was lost when she failed to take the Entrance Exam to the Heiomachi University.

Getting up, she decided to head back to her grandma's place. It was getting late and she was extremely stressed out for some reason.

**~My Ex-Best Friend~**

Miyu sat down on her soft bed, sighing. Well, she was undeniably early. In her anxiety to not be late when the gang arrived to pick her up, she had gotten ready an hour early. Now, she was sitting on her bed, wearing Chris's designer-made bridesmaid's dress.

It was long and threatened to make her trip and fall over any second. It was a beautiful royal-navy color decorated with fake diamonds about the bosom. It was a sleeveless, shoulder-less dress and was it made to her perfect size that she almost found it hard to breathe.

She had to let down her hair to compromise the above characteristic of the dress. Chris had her wear a blue hair-band (with a small bow) to suit the dress. And she was also equipped with a small stone-encrusted handbag.

She sighed as she looked at the clock dismally to see it show that she had another half-an-hour left till the gang shall pick her up.

Even her grandma wasn't home to kill time with. She said something about having some urgent business to attend to the moment the blonde told her she was going to get ready for the Wedding.

She sighed again but perked up when she heard the door open.

She got up from her post and rushed out to the hall to see her grandma walk into the hall with a grin plastered across her face.

"Where have you been grandma?" asked Miyu.

"You look fantastic honey," complimented the old lady as she placed a warm hand on the blonde's cheek, making her go slightly crimson.

"Thanks grandma…" she said gratefully, "but I'm sure that Kanata would find fault nonetheless… even last night he asked me whether it was you who dressed me saying that it was like back in the twelfth century…"

"That little rascal!" spat the old woman furiously, and then returning to her calm and warm self once more said, "But, you needn't worry about that tonight…"

"How can you be so sure…?" asked Miyu smiling.

"I'm sending you to the wedding with a chaperone to protect you at all times," said her grandma cheerfully.

Miyu's jaw dropped.

"Grandma!" she whined, "I don't need a chaperone!"

"I believe **'a date'** would be more of an appropriate term here…"

"Ran?" gasped Miyu, her eyes wide.

The raven-haired smiled at her widely as he walked through the door and into the apartment. He was wearing black formals, without a tie though. His crooked smile, which always reached his eyes, made those ember-eyes twinkle in delight. Miyu couldn't help but fall into a brief tumble as she noticed how handsome he looked tonight.

"What are you doing here, Ran?" asked Miyu, shaking awake from her momentary lapse.

"I'm going to be your date tonight, Ms. Kouzuki," he said, walking near to her and pushing a single rose to her face gently.

She turned crimson at his sudden gesture.

"I'm sorry Miyu…" her grandma apologized shaking her head, "this is all I could get at such short notice…"

"Hey!" cried Ran, glaring at the old lady, "_Excuse_ me if I'm not up to your expectations, your _Almighty_!"

"I think you're absolutely perfect!" said Miyu smiling at him, as she took the rose from his grasp.

The raven-haired turned to her. He smiled and then leaning closer said, "Well, you look _absolutely_ beautiful tonight…"

She blushed to the roots of her hair as he pulled away, and continued to smile at her. She wished that she would not turn crimson like that but she couldn't help it at the moment.

"Ahem!"

Both turned to the old lady in the room.

"You remember the rules Higara?"

"Yeah… yeah… whatever…" said Ran, matter-of-factly.

Miyu frowned and was about to ask the two what these rules were when she heard the sound of horns through the window. She rushed to the window and looking down saw Christine's Limo here to pick her up. Nanami's head poked out of the back window and she motioned her to come down.

"Well, I gotta go now, grandma…" she said cheerfully as she hugged her grandmother.

"Have great night honey…" wished the old lady as she hugged her granddaughter back.

She turned to Ran who was standing with his arm held out for her. She giggled lightly as she offered, "Shall we?"

She smiled and then took his arm, "yes, we shall…"

He smiled back and then turning to the old lady in the room, winked at her to which the latter chuckled.

Down at the car, the maid-of-honor was in a fit.

"What's taking her so long?"

"Calm down Nanami," said Kanata lightly.

"Yeah… it's not like Chris would get cold feet and run away…" said Santa chuckling.

"You may never know," said Aya wisely.

Nanami's jaw dropped whilst the guys' eyes opened wide lightly.

"Miyu! Get down here soon!" shouted Nanami and Santa in chorus.

Kanata sighed, shaking his head whilst the blond sitting beside him, snored loudly.

"Wake up Hikarigaoka!" he poked the blond irritably.

"Idiot!" said Nanami, shaking her head at the blond.

"You seriously should have got some sleep last night," added Santa.

"Rightly said," Aya nodded her head.

The blond finally stirred and then rubbing his eyes open, asked looking out the window, "Hey! Who's that with Miyu?"

Everybody's head turned to see their blonde friend walking with her arms inclined with a handsome looking raven-haired.

"Wow…"

"He's cute…"

"She's looks astounding…"

"They look really sweet…"

Kanata had no idea what to think as he saw her opening the door, with an apologetic look, with the raven-haired right behind her. But he could've sworn that something went wrong inside his chest.

**End Chapter 3**

**A/N: **Well…? I really apologize for the late update… I was caught up with a lot of stuff… Well, please review…


	5. The Wedding

**My Ex-Best Friend**

"_**With friends we have a place to go to be accepted and understood. Together we can laugh. Together we can cry"**_

"_I'm sending you to the wedding with a chaperone to protect you at all times," said her grandma cheerfully._

"_Grandma!" she whined, "I don't need a chaperone!"_

"_I believe __**'a date'**__ would be more of an appropriate term here…"_

"_Ran?" gasped Miyu, her eyes wide._

"_Hey! Who's that with Miyu?"_

"_Wow…"_

"_He's cute…"_

"_She's looks astounding__…"_

"_They look really __sweet…"_

_Kanata had no idea what to think as he saw her opening the door, with an apologetic look, with the raven-haired right behind her. But he could've sworn that something went wrong inside his chest._

**Chapter 4**

**The Wedding**

"There was darkness for a long time and then there was light, and that light was you. Your love has given me wings, and our journey begins today. I pledge before this assembled company to be your husband from this day forward. Let us make of our two lives one life. I want you for today, tomorrow, and forever," said Takeshi Yamabuki with overflowing warmth at the pink-haired woman standing before him.

Christine couldn't help but smile at her groom as he finished his vow. The pastor standing at the raised platform between the two smiled and turned to Christine with a smile and a nod.

Christine took in a deep breath and glanced at her back to see her friends giving her an encouraging nod. She turned to face her groom again with a smile that conveyed hundreds of thoughts at the same time.

"I…I have dreamed all my life to have someone," her voice cracked as tears threatened to flow down her beautiful eyes, "…someone as wonderful as you to love me the way you do…"

Takeshi smiled.

"I think I'm very fortunate to be here right now, with you…" she said, and her voice returned to normal when Takeshi took her hands in his lightly, "and I'm very glad that I get to be your wife… I'm honored that I'm given the chance to love you all my life… to be by your side all my life… I love you Takeshi Yamabuki…"

"I love you too," he smiled at her lovingly.

The pastor smiled and after the usual query about any opposition to the matrimony said, "I now, pronounce you man… and wife… you may now kiss the bride…"

When Takeshi took a step forward and kissed his wife, the entire wedding hall broke to applause.

Miyu wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes as she clapped vigorously at the alignment of her friend with the man she loved. She couldn't help but smile. She caught her friends' eyes and they all had a true smile on their lips which no money in this world can buy. She smiled and clapped even harder.

**~My Ex-Best Friend~**

"I'm kinda glad that this is over," sighed the maid-of-honor as she leaned back on the chair at the dinner hall.

The rest of her friends at the dinner table nodded in consent.

"She looks really happy," said Miyu as she looked at Christine who was currently with her newly-wedded husband and the couple's family.

Everybody else leaned to look at her as well and said smiling, "yeah…"

There was silence as the group continued to stare at the pink-haired bride. But as the song that was being played changed, the raven-haired sitting next to Miyu said, "so, are you _ever_ gonna dance with me?"

Miyu turned surprised.

The rest of the group did too (except a certain brunet), but they returned to their plates in silence as they knew that the blonde will kill the lot if they happened to comment.

"What?" asked Miyu to her date, Ran, a little surprised.

The raven-haired leaned forward a little to her and said with a smirk, "I asked whether you'd like to dance…"

Miyu began to heat up at his sudden query and the close proximity between the two but pursing her lips for a second so that she wouldn't blurt anything stupid, said, "Err… Ran, I'm not a very good dancer…"

"She isn't kidding about that," said the brunet who was sitting at Miyu's other side turned to the raven-haired and added, "she'll destroy your feet dude…"

Miyu glared at the brunet, who stuck his tongue out at her.

Ran chuckled and said, "I'm sure you're not that bad… and besides, it's a _slow_ song…"

The way that ran added the last line sent weird kind of shivers through Miyu's body—shivers that she hadn't experienced since Mizuki.

Ran gently took her hand and said with one of his charming smiles, "C'mon…"

As she let him get up she asked, "Aren't you scared that I might "_**destroy your feet"**_…?"

Ran chuckled again and pulling her out of the table said, "I'm sure I'll live…"

The two got to the dance floor where there were already a few couples dancing to the slow beat.

Miyu let Ran drag her to the dance floor in silence. Her heart was beating weirdly. It had been six years since she had experienced something like this. Who can blame her…? She hadn't danced with any guy since the prom with Mizuki.

As she two reached the middle of the dance floor, one second, Ran was on his knee, and kissed her hand making her hyperventilate and the next second he had his hand wrapped around her waist and the other holding her hand leaving but a few inches space between the two.

"I told you…" he whispered, "You aren't that bad…"

Miyu suddenly felt herself relax and smiling at his said, "you may never know…"

He chuckled and she joined as well as the two waltzed to the slow beat of the song.

"They look absolutely cute together," said Christine smiling as she sat down at Miyu's empty seat beside Kanata.

The rest of the gang who were looking at their friend and her date turned surprised at the sound of Christine's voice.

"What are you doing here?" asked Nanami at once.

"Don't worry," she said off-handedly, "I'll be gone to join those two in the dance floor soon enough… Takeshi is dancing with his mom at the moment… so have to wait for this song to finish…"

"That's it!" exclaimed Nozomu suddenly, getting to his feet, "Tenchi… you and I… dance floor… now!"

Everybody looked at the blond surprised—including Nanami herself.

"Hikarigaoka…" she said as he stood before her urging her to get up and go to the dance floor with him, "are you asking me for a dance or a _duel_?"

"A dance of course," he said shrugging.

"What happened to all of the Yamabuki Sisters?" asked Santa frowning.

"What Yamabuki sisters?" asked Christine surprised and suddenly flaring up snarled at the blond, "don't tell me… you flirt! You didn't…!"

"The entire_** lot**_ dumped me last night! _**And**_, warned the entire girl-population in the wedding… except you girls perhaps…" informed Nozomu in agitation, "why do you think I didn't get any sleep at all last night?"

"Serves you right…"

Nozomu breathed and then turning back to Nanami asked, "C'mon Tenchi… I don't wanna be one of those guys who don't get a date even for one dance…"

Nanami looked at the blond thoughtfully and then said with a smirk, "Ask me nicely…"

"What?"

"Ask," she spelled, "me," and finished, "nicely…"

"You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look as though I'm kidding…?"

Nozomu sighed and then said putting on an obviously fake smile, "Nanami Tenchi… Would be please, be my partner for this dance… please…?"

"Fine," she said giving him one of her rare genuine smiles and took his hand and waving at the gang, made her way to the dance floor.

"Let's go too Aya!" said Santa suddenly and dragged the said girl with no warning to the dance floor leaving the table except for the bride and the brunet.

The two sat there looking at their friends dancing.

"Where's Akira?"

Kanata winced at the sudden query, thought it was almost unnoticeable, and clearing his throat said, "she had… she had this important commitment…" and not meeting her eyes finished, "She couldn't come out of it… I'm sorry…"

Christine looked at the brunet thoughtfully and then smiling said, "that's okay…"

"I really am sorry Chris," he said, now turning to look at her.

"And it really is okay, Kanata," she assured him, "I'm just glad that you're here… and you weren't stuck in a "commitment" as well…"

Kanata turned to staring at his friends in the dance floor again with a faraway look in his eyes and said, "I'm glad too…"

There was silence.

"So who's the guy Miyu's with anyway…?" asked Chris.

"Some guy who works for her grandma, I guess…" answered Kanata shrugging.

Chris stared at the couple and smiling said, "They _do_ look good together…"

Kanata didn't respond but he _was_ staring at the same couple.

More silence followed.

"You know…" said Chris suddenly, "while in High School, I always figured, and so did almost everybody else, that you two would end up together…"

"What?"

"That is until Mizuki asked her out…" she finished.

"Miyu and I?' asked Kanata chuckling, "that's one thing that can never happen…"

Christine smiled and said, "It _might've_ happened if she hadn't fallen for Mizuki and you hadn't come to Tokyo…"

Kanata looked at her blankly and he then turned his attention back to the smiling blonde in the dance floor with a raven-haired.

He turned to the bride and said with a smirk, "then I'm glad that I did come to Tokyo…"

Christine smiled at his statement.

"You know what…" said Kanata getting to his feet suddenly, "there must be half of that song left… do you wanna join them?"

Christine smiled and then getting to her feet gently so as not to flip the round table with her elegant dress and said, "Of course…"

Kanata gave her his hand.

She was about to take it but suddenly withdrew it much to the surprise of the brunet and said, "Remember this Saionji… I'm _officially unavailable,_" she showed him her ring finger, indicating the shining platinum ring.

He chuckled and then said smirking, "I'll try…"

She smiled and then the two moved to the dance floor and joined the rest of the gang in the dance.

As Kanata danced with the bride, he couldn't help but ponder over the statements that she had said back at the table.

"_While in High School, I always figured, and so did almost everybody else, that you two would end up together…"_

"_That is until Mizuki asked her out"._

"_It might've happened if she hadn't fallen for Mizuki and you hadn't come to Tokyo…"_

He closed his eyes whilst in movement and breathed out lightly, trying to block out the thoughts. He opened his eyes and there, right before him was the blonde the two had been talking about.

"_I dumped the guy-of-my-dreams so that I could still be friends with __**you**__!" she flared, "and you decided to go away from me, you ungrateful little piece of crap…"_

**End Chapter **

**A/N: **Sorry about this chapter being this small. I never intended to write such crap but I can't help it at the moment. My classes are as hectic as ever and I get very little time on the computer. I'm sorry…

Hoping to update soon though…


	6. Mi:chan's Cappuccino

"_A lie would have no sense unless the truth were felt to be dangerous"_

**My Ex-Best Friend**

**Chapter 5**

It is often pretty hard to turn down sweet and good people when they suggest going out. But Miyu Kouzuki had been a guaranteed immune to such requests all these years. But even a person like Miyu Kouzuki was unable to turn down the childish yet flirtatious employee of her grandmother's who went by the name Ran Higara when he asked her out at the end of their little waltz at the Hanakomachi-Yamabuki nuptials.

The blonde couldn't actually believe that she had accepted him. Maybe she had done it just to get him to flash her that charming smile that sent goose bumps down her spine. Or maybe she just wanted to have someone in her life seeing as almost every one of her friends seem to have something special in their life to keep them going.

She had yet to disclose this information to her friends because they were all too busy in sending off Christine on her honeymoon to Paris with her newlywed husband. But she did manage to inform the blushing bride on the matter who gave her a beautiful and supporting smile and an encouraging pat on the back.

And now, she needs to tell her grandma how in one night her chaperone had turned to her boyfriend.

"Grandma…?" she called tenderly as she opened the door to the old woman's room, the first phase of fear starting to surface inside her heart.

There was no response. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost midnight. Her grandma needed all the rest she can get in her withering days but she wondered if whether she was really asleep.

She debated whether to switch on the light for one second and see whether if she really is asleep or not but instead, with a sigh closed the room with a hushed whisper, "good night grandma…"

After a quick shower, Miyu crept into her bed and took out her mobile in her hand. She browsed through her phonebook and stopped at the newly added number. By the blush that crept to her face, one can very well guess that the number belonged to Ran. As she looked at the number, she hoped that he wouldn't inform her grandmother before she had the chance.

Then her mobile beeped.

Her heart leapt. She wondered if it was Ran greeting her good night. With a thumping heart, she closed the phonebook and saw that she had indeed received a 'Good Night'. But it was not from her boyfriend. It was from her ex-best friend.

_Good Ni8 Miyu…_

Miyu frowned but it slowly turned into a smile as she typed back a reply.

_I'm not asleep yet Kanata :) _

She wondered whether it would be alright to send the message. She sighed that she was actually thinking about whether or not to send him a message. Back in their school days, she'd even call him in the middle of the night with the least hesitation.

She pressed 'send'.

She waited a few minutes.

Her mobile beeped again.

She opened the message in haste.

_Someone's in a good mood… what happened?_

Miyu's jaw dropped.

'_How did he find out?'_ was the first thought that swept through her mind and she typed her very thought and sent him the message.

But she pouted when she got his reply.

_Just tell me the news…_

She raised an eyebrow and wondered whether to tell him.

She sighed again as she typed:

_I'm…_

She wondered how best to convey this. She breathed out and decided to be firm once and typed:

_I'm committed to Ran..!_

She pressed send and the second she sent it, she wished she hadn't. She didn't know why but she just felt he shouldn't have been the first person to know (save Christine that is).

She waited for an entire minute. Why was her heart beating _this _fast as she waited for his response…?

Another minute passed.

Finally… finally, her mobile beeped:

_Congratulations… But I feel sorry for the guy ;) _

She fumed as she typed back in fury: _Idiot… good night..!_

She placed her mobile on her bedside cabinet and pulled the covers over her head, furious at her brunet friend for making fun of her even in the middle of the night and that too through mobile messages. Why does he always do that…?

Her mobile beeped. She guessed it was just him either to apologize or to wish her good night… or even both. Well, it was indeed a 'Good Night' message but this time it was from her boyfriend and not from her ex-best friend.

It felt weird when she typed back a 'good night' to Ran.

******~My Ex-Best Friend~**

Autumn always brings renewed freshness with a light breeze and cool temperature after the hot and humid summer. All forests are tinted in glorious autumn colors. Chrysanthemums produce beautiful displays with their abundance of flowers to enchant visitors to parks and gardens. Autumn is also the season for countless exhibitions, music concerts and sports tournaments in Japan.

Miyu sat at the chair to that beautiful little café wearing a ruffled three-fourth white poplin blouse and black pants to match. She had let her hair down as usual and was currently playing with the tip of the straw in the glass of lime soda that she had ordered. She has been waiting for ten minutes now and there was no sight of Ran.

'_Maybe he bailed or something'_, was the first thought that entered her mind.

The blonde swiftly checked her mobile but there was no messages or missed calls from the said raven-haired. She felt a sudden coldness deep inside her heart as her eyes suddenly felt a little teary. She emptied the glass of lime soda in one gulp, trying to pull herself together, but all it did was to give her a sudden brain freeze.

She took a deep breath after continuously shaking her head for a few seconds. She blinked and when she came to a clearer stand, the guy she had been waiting for the past fourteen minutes and fifty three seconds collapsed at the chair before her, exhausted.

"Ran?" she called, disbelievingly.

"Yeah… totally…" he breathed and then turning to an approaching waiter said with his crooked smile in place, "I'll have a cappuccino and she'll have…"

He looked at the confused blonde pointedly who took another entire twenty seconds to respond to the waiter who held his pen inches away from the small notepad, his eyebrows raised an inch.

She cleared her throat and then muttered, "I'll have the same…"

Ran's smile widened at her obvious nervousness as the waiter left their table with a short bow.

"Sorry about the delay…" he said off-handedly, "Your grandma certainly knows how to make my life hell…"

He chuckled and Miyu found the sound truly mesmerizing but she swore not to tell him that though. But at the same time, she couldn't join in his joke because she was the reason her grandmother was giving a hard time to her employee.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized meekly.

He gave her an amused look and then it turned into a smirk as he leaned across the circular table and said, "You don't need to apologize, Mi-chan…"

A pretty shade of pink hue splattered across her cheeks at her new name but she overrode the obvious and continued resulting in a smirk appearing across the raven-head's face, "I should've told her first…"

The smirk turned to a genuine smile as he said, leaning further in, "the old lady would calm down soon enough… she always does…"

Miyu couldn't help but return his contagious smile.

They spent another two minutes merely staring into each other's eyes, smiling. Miyu felt oddly at peace just by looking into this guy's eyes who had suddenly barged into her life like this. She remembered back when he suggested going out. And she remembered the first thing that she said to him.

"_Long distance relationships never work out…" she had said, her already blushed face turning into a brighter shade of magenta hue._

_The raven haired had actually chuckled at this statement and had pulled her close and asked, "so, the distance is the __**only **__problem in this, eh..?"_

_She swore steam erupted from her ears but she kept her trap shut to avoid further embarrassment. She had turned down more than a dozen proposals like this all these years but why was she finding it this hard to turn this particular guy down..?_

"_It's not what I meant…" she said, trying to make a recovery but the damage had been done._

"_I know this little café a few blocks away from the shop," he said, his crooked smile in place, "Saturday at four…?"_

_She raised her eyebrows, amused._

"_And ya… about the long distance," he added off-handedly, "I've always loved challenges…"_

"Your orders sir," the voice of the waiter broke her out of her trance. She looked up, a little red in the face as Ran drew away, leaving space for the waiter to place the two cups before the two and again leave with a bow.

They were half-way through their orders when Ran asked, "tell me… did your friends take it better than your grandma..?"

Miyu shrugged going, "they were happy enough…"

His smile returned, "So… tell me about you a little more than what the old lady lets on…"

Miyu smiled and then started to tell him about her life in Heiomachi and the flower shop. He, in turn, told her a lot about him. As it turns out, Ran only works part-time at the shop, and goes to the art school at night. His parents were no longer alive and so he has to do as much as he can to earn for sustenance as well as his art degree. It would've sounded more touching if Ran hadn't swindled it enough to make it sound like he was commenting on the weather.

"How long are you goanna stay in Tokyo?" he asked her after he finished his cappuccino.

Miyu finished hers and stayed quiet for some time.

He waited. She didn't reply until they paid for their cappuccinos and made their way towards her grandmother's apartment.

"I don't know…" she admitted as they crossed the street and walked along the pavement, "I dropped by for Christine's wedding… and now that it's over…"

"But you don't have to leave at once," Ran cut-across.

"I know…" she said, almost in a whisper, "but I should be leaving real soon though…"

He stopped outside a posh looking apartment and she followed suit. He looked at her intensely, all cheerfulness disappearing.

"Ran…?" she called him.

He took a step closer to her and slowly held her hand which sent sparks flying through Miyu's body from the point where his skin had come in contact with hers. She hadn't felt like this for so many years now that she had lost count. The raven-haired took another step and there was not much distance between the two except maybe an inch or so.

Miyu's heart began to beat at a speed, she was sure, was slower than usual. Every aspect of Ran's face was visible to her—his azure blue eyes that had a spark in them and those strands of stray hair that covered almost his entire forehead.

She had to use all of her self-control so that she could restrain her hands from entering his raven locks, for she was itching to know how it felt between her fingers.

All her emotions probably showed on her face for another one of his amused smirks played across his face as he whispered on her lips, "should I give you a reason to stay Mi-chan…?"

She blinked and before she knew what was happening, Ran placed his lips gently on hers.

All self-control lost, Miyu's hand moved to his neck as she let him kiss her. She moved her hands slowly through his raven hair as he moved his hand steadily from her shoulder to her hip.

Miyu was not aware that people were showering them with glances as they passed by the couple. She was also not aware that a set of high school girls at the other side of the street giggling and pointing on how cute they were.

Likewise, she was also not aware that a certain amber-eyed brunet had just got past the glass doors to that apartment, halfway through putting his jacket on as he glanced at the beeper in his hand. All that was in his mind was to get to the pavement and flag a cab to the hospital for a patient had been admitted in his department and needed immediate care.

But who knew that he had to stop moments before the pavement for a couple was lip-locking right before his apartment, blocking his way to get his ride.

Irritated as he was, he didn't wanna disturb them and was about to move around them for the taxi had already stopped for his sake. But he was passing them when he realized whom he was actually passing because at that moment the couple broke apart.

"Not goanna be leaving soon, right?" grinned the guy to the blushing blonde.

"Miyu…?" the word escaped the brunet's lips before he even knew what he was doing.

The said blonde turned, and her emerald eyes widened a little at the sight of the brunet.

"Kanata?"

**End Chapter 5**

**Author's Notes: **_Hey everybody..! Sorry about not updating this story for all these days (or has it been months…?) But here I am, updating a very short chapter, I presume… I swear that the next one will be a little longer… till then, do review…_

"_Without some goal and some effort to reach it, no one can live"_


	7. Cooking for Thanksgiving

_"Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams"_

**My Ex-Best Friend**

Thanksgiving Day is a joyous family festival celebrated with lot of enthusiasm in US, Canada and several other countries. Thanksgiving Day Festival commemorates the feast held by the **Pilgrim colonists** and members of the Wampanoag people at Plymouth in 1621. On this day people express gratitude to God for his blessings and give thanks to dear ones for their love & support. Feasting with family is an integral & most delightful part of Thanksgiving Day celebrations.

But for Miyu Kouzuki, the Thanksgiving for that year meant it would be the last day that she gets to spend in Tokyo City.

She picked up the last of her laundered clothes and folded it with a blank look in her eyes. She sighed as she closed the zipper to her bag which was on her bed. With that done, she sat down on her bed, beside her bag and took in a deep breath remembering back to how her friends decided on her departure date.

**Chapter 6**

**Cooking for Thanksgiving**

"What…?" gasped Nanami Tenchi as she choked on her coke, "you're _leaving?"_

The emerald-eyed blonde to whom she had asked the question nodded a little gravely and then posing a smile said, "Yeah… why are you guys so surprised…?"

"It's been just less than a week since the wedding got over!" pointed out Aya as she got off the couch in hers and Nanami's apartment.

"True," acknowledged the blond haired prince-of-flirt as he nodded his head, with his arms crossed across his chest.

"It's been a **week!**" Miyu said firmly, "I came for the wedding and I should have left ages ago…"

"But you still stayed".

Everybody turned towards the brunet who had spoken after his long and continued silence. The said amber-eyed brunet was looking at the blonde with an unexplainable emotion present in his eyes.

"You stayed," he continued leaning back on the single couch, an almost lazy look in his eyes, "cause _he_ asked you to…"

Miyu gulped as her cheeks began to redden. She knew what he was talking about and felt like kicking herself for she knew that he was right.

"Ran…?" asked Santa questioningly.

"Yeah… you guys are together, aren't you?" Aya asked.

Miyu shrugged, at an obvious loss for words.

"You'll stay for a guy you met less than a month ago," flared Nanami at once, "you won't stay for your friends since grade school…?"

Miyu was now in serious trouble.

She didn't know what to say at all.

"How about till New Year?" asked Aya soothingly, trying to calm down her furious best friend, "can you stay till then…?"

"I don't think so…" said Miyu apologetically.

"Christmas…?"

Miyu shook her head at Nozomu's question.

"Kanata's birthday…?"

"Idiot…!" Nozomu slapped his fist on Santa's head going, "that **is **on Christmas!"

"Ow!"

Miyu giggled and so did Aya and Nanami.

"How about Thanksgiving?" his cold voice broke their laughter, "it's next week…"

Miyu blinked…

…and so did everybody else…

"Thanksgiving..?" asked Nozomu.

Aya started, "but…?"

"Chris isn't here…" said Nanami.

"So…?" asked Kanata, raising an eyebrow.

Miyu watched the rest of the gang exchange looks. She wondered how long they have been celebrating this festival. In all her life she has never celebrated Thanksgiving. She wasn't even sure what the festival was about.

"Doesn't Chris always cook…?" asked Nozomu, scratching the back of his head lightly.

"Yeah… we always celebrate it at her place…" said Santa, shrugging his shoulders.

Kanata looked thoughtful for a minute and then sighed.

"We'll do it at my place…"

**My Ex-Best Friend**

Miyu stood outside his apartment door, wondering if it was alright for her to be there at all. She checked her watch and saw that it was already half past two.

Although she had volunteered to help him out with Thanksgiving cooking, she was still worried about going to his place. After all, this was the very first time that she was entering her ex-best friend's apartment.

She was still debating on the best way to enter his apartment when the door to the place in question swung open and a brunet stood there with his hand over the opened door's knob, wearing an apron and a deep frown.

"How long did you plan on standing there?"

Miyu jumped in surprise and then clutching her side said breathing in relief, "you really scared me…"

He raised an eyebrow at this and then sighing gently, opened the door wide enough for her to enter. Miyu took a deep breath and entered his apartment.

The apartment came as a bit of a surprise.

It was greatly bigger and a little more exuberant than Nanami and Aya's apartment. By the looks of it, there seemed to be two bedrooms, a well decorated kitchen and a neat living room with a wide-screen Plasma TV.

"Wow…" gasped Miyu, taking a few steps into the living room which was connected with the kitchen and then turning to look at the brunet added, "your apartment is awesome…"

Kanata shrugged.

After a few seconds of more examining, Miyu asked skeptically, "how come it's so neat…?"

He glared at her and asked, "I can be _neat_!"

"Well…" started Miyu grinning, "how do you find time with being a doctor at the hospital and all…?"

"First," said the brunet in an almost inaudible whisper, "I'm still a resident… and secondly…" he sighed and said with a small blush creeping to his cheeks, "I don't clean…"

Miyu stood there, blinking.

"Your girlfriend…?"

Kanata snorted at that and then as though realizing that she was there, tried to cover it by saying, "no… Akira is too _busy… _my cousin does it for me…"

"Who..?"

"Mikan…" he said off-handedly, "she comes here once a week to clean up… it's actually her apartment… she's subletting it to me since she got married and moved in with her husband…"

Miyu nodded.

"Can we start cooking now?" asked Kanata, a little impatiently.

Miyu looked a little taken aback as though she had completely forgotten why she had come here for. Kanata glared at her as her face was obvious enough for him to read without much trouble.

Miyu laughed awkwardly as she asked, "So… What are we cooking?"

Kanata sighed.

**My Ex-Best Friend**

Nearly three hours later, they were finally placing the dessert in the refrigerator—Apple Pie a la mode. The two looked at each other and smiled at having finally completed the most dangerous job of cooking for the gang.

Miyu walked over to the comfortable looking couch and letting down her tied up hair, collapsed fully over it, breathing in relief at having completed their task.

Kanata smiled at her and then opened the refrigerator again. He pulled out two cans of Diet Coke and squatted on the carpeted floor beside the couch she was lying on, so that her head and his head were in a straight line.

Opening both the cans, he passed one to the relaxing blonde.

"Mikan's goanna flip," said the brunet before pressing the can to his lips and gulping down the cold beverage.

"Why?" wondered out loud Miyu as she got to a semi-sitting position and holding her Coke with both her hands.

"You're leaving flour all over the couch," he said as he turned to look at her, smirking.

Miyu looked threatened for a second and then said, "I'd be gone by tomorrow morning… she'll have only you to yell at…"

"If she's going to do anything," said the brunet, "it's definitely something worse than just yelling".

He practically shuddered at the thought.

Miyu giggled.

"You know," he said suddenly, "I thought you would definitely burn my kitchen…"

Miyu's smile faded to be replaced by a death glare.

"But not bad…" continued the brunet, leaning his head back on the couch, "you've gotten a little better…"

He glanced sideways at her with a smile.

Miyu couldn't help but smile back as she smacked his head lightly with her cold can going, "idiot…"

For a few minutes they were sipping in silence.

"Does Akira cook?"

Kanata almost choked at her sudden query.

"What?"

Miyu blushed lightly in embarrassment.

"Forget it…" she said laughing nervously, "It kinda slipped out…"

Kanata looked at her for a few seconds and then turning away said after a minute's thinking, "not exactly… she does cook, but just not here…"

Miyu pursed her lips, nodding.

"Will she be coming tonight?"

Kanata took a minute longer to answer this one.

When he did, it was almost forced, "I don't think so…"

Miyu bit her tongue for a question had been bugging her about Akira for a very long time. But she was sure it would be inappropriate for her to ask it to him right now.

"Hey…"

Miyu blinked.

"Yeah…?" she asked, a little surprised.

Kanata didn't turn.

Miyu wondered if it was really him who called.

She was about to ask when he finally spoke.

"What are you planning," he said in almost a whisper as though he was not really comfortable with asking that question, "to do once you leave…?"

"What?"

He finally turned to look at her as he asked, "the thing you have with… with that guy… what do you plan to do?"

Miyu looked genuinely surprised.

"Long distance relationships never work out…" muttered the brunet as he turned away from her again.

Miyu remembered back to when she had said the same line to a raven-haired, word-by-word. She couldn't help but chuckle remembering his response.

_"Long distance relationships never work out…" _

_"And ya… about the long distance, I've always loved challenges…"_

"What's so funny?"

Miyu looked at her brunet friend who was now looking at her with an irritated look in his amber orbs.

Before she realized what she was saying, she said with her most beautiful smile, "he has always loved challenges…"

Kanata looked at her for an entire minute before turning away, going, "right…"

With that, he got to his feet and then started moving towards what she suspected as the bathroom, "I'm goanna take my shower…"

Miyu understood that simple phrase as her good-bye.

"Okay…" she said and getting to her feet, took off her apron and dusted off some of the flour on her clothes and cheeks, "I'll see you at seven then..?"

"Yeah…" said the brunet before locking himself inside his bathroom.

With that, Miyu picked up her coat and headed out of the apartment, feeling a little empty inside. Something definitely was wrong.

She couldn't help but wonder why the atmosphere between them suddenly turned cold.

She sighed as she climbed down the stairs.

Miyu knew that she still didn't get her best friend back.

He was still her **ex-**best friend.

The departing chillness was proof enough.

She wondered how long they were going to be like this.

Miyu took a deep breath before flagging a cab to head to her grandma's place for a quick shower and return back to the same apartment in a few hours for Thanksgiving Dinner and also her Going Away Party.

**End Chapter 6**

**A/N: **_Wow… How long has it been since I last updated…? Pretty long I guess… T_T_

_Please don't lose interest in this story just because the updates are late… :(_

_I promise to update soon from now on…_

_And ya…! I'm a little torn between what to update next. **Yours, Mine and Ours** or **Destiny** or **Head over Heels**…._

_Which one do you guys wanna read next? ;)_

**_"The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground"_**

**Buddha******


	8. Thanksgiving

**My Ex-Best Friend**

The mouth-watering turkey was tucked back into the refrigerator along with the rest of the Thanksgiving meal as Kanata Saionji's entire apartment was deserted except for the silent beeping of his intercom indicating that he has two unread voice messages.

Few minutes later, the phone began to ring in that deserted apartment. Nearly a minute it rang before it went to voice message.

"_Hey Kanata… Where are you? Why aren't you picking up the call? I thought today was your day off from the hospital… Are they overworking you again? _

"_Just give me a call when you get this message, okay…? Tell me when I'm supposed to come clean up the Thanksgiving mess that you and your gang might have made… Happy Thanksgiving by the way…"_

The phone clicked and the apartment was enveloped in silence yet again.

The large clock hanging above the television rang three times, indicating that it was exactly 12' O clock.

Meanwhile nearly five blocks away, at the sixth floor to the Unmei Hospital, outside the emergency ward stood the emerald-orbed blonde, holding her best friend, the short-haired Nanami Tenchi. The latter was gently rubbing the blonde's back whispering soothing words into her ears, trying to stop the blonde from weeping any more but all in vain.

It was as though time was standing still as the gang stood there. Santa was pacing to and fro, his hands inside his pant pockets, trying to clear his head. Nozomu and Aya on the other hand were nowhere to be seen as they were down at the pharmacy buying some anxiety relief pills for Miyu.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the doors to the emergency unit opened and a person came out, covered fully by his light green scrubs.

He pulled down his mask and his handsome face looked tired and his auburn orbs serious.

**Chapter 7**

Miyu left the refugee of her friend and rushed to the newly arrived. She grabbed his front lightly and with desperation in her eyes, asked, "How is she, Kanata? Is she o-o-okay?"

Kanata breathed out lightly and removing his gloves and stuffing them in one of the compartments in his scrubs, caught hold of her hands and holding them gently said in almost a whisper, "she's fine…"

"Can I see her?"

Kanata breathed lightly and gaining a more firm grip over her hands said mildly, "we'll be shifting her to a room first thing tomorrow morning… you can see her then…"

She didn't seem to believe him.

Sighing lightly and not having the slightest clue as to what else to do, Kanata slowly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close allowing her to let out all her tears which she had been so unsuccessfully keeping at bay.

In the comfort of her once best-friend's arms, Miyu let out all her tears. Kanata breathed lightly as he patted her back slowly, trying to soothe her.

"I think we all had better get home," Nozomu said in barely a whisper, after finally returning from the pharmacy downstairs.

Everybody nodded in acknowledgement.

"There's nothing we can do for now is there?"

"I'll drop you guys," said Nozomu indicating towards the other two girls and Santa.

They nodded and the four left with quick yet comforting hugs to Miyu.

Seconds after they left, Miyu sat down at one of the chairs nearby, looking both torn and tired. The image at the apartment was still vivid in her head.

She had entered the apartment after returning from cooking at Kanata's place. She had called out to her grandma but there had been no response. So, she had gone into her room to tell her grandma that he would be leaving again but had cried in shock the second she had entered the room.

Her aged yet strong grandma was on the floor beside the bed, her eyes facing upward and her arms and legs at odd angles. To make matters worse, it looked like she had gotten hit in the head at the bed as blood was slowly oozing through her grey hairs.

She had called the first person who had come to her mind.

"Kanata…"

The brunet was by her side within seconds, "yea…?"

"I'm hungry…" she mumbled.

**~My Ex-Best Friend~**

"Do you want me to heat it again?" asked Kanata as he saw her take her first bite of the turkey they had made together few hours ago and now eating together in the middle of the night.

"No it's fine…" she managed to muttered as she continued to eat. Even though she tried her hardest not to think about her grandma at the hospital she couldn't help it. Her thoughts kept dragging to her and no matter what tears started to well up.

Kanata was not oblivious to this but he didn't say anything. He was giving her space to think about it herself.

"Did you inform your parents?"

Miyu shook her head mechanically and replied, "Will do it tomorrow morning…"

Kanata nodded and continued with his cold dinner.

Fifteen minutes later, after cleaning up, Kanata asked her, "Do you want me to drop you at your grandma's place?"

Miyu sat down at the couch, looking a little weary and said, "I d-don't want to go there Kanata…"

Kanata looked at her, frowning.

"I'll just sleep here on the couch…" she said and was half-way through to lying down on the couch when he caught the hem of her sleeve and made her stand up.

"Please d-d-don't make me g-go there K-Kanata…" she sobbed, "I'm s-scared…"

Kanata sighed and assured, "I'm not goanna…"

The look in her eyes told him that she didn't believe a word he was saying.

He held her hand gently and said in a loud whisper, "you don't have to sleep on the couch… I have a spare bedroom…"

**My Ex-Best Friend**

It was nearly 3 in the morning when Kanata finally decided to put his book down and catch some sleep before rushing to the hospital for his 9'O Clock morning duty. He had just removed his reading glasses, pulled his covers closer and his hand was half-way to his bedside lamp when there was a knock on his door.

He frowned.

Of course he knew it was her.

His question was what she was doing knocking on his door at this time…?

"It's open," he said and added uncertainly, "…Miyu…"

The door slowly opened and there she stood, wearing his pajamas which were a little oversize for her and clutching a pillow tightly to her chest. For a second he saw his fourteen year old friend standing at his door.

"I c-couldn't sleep…" she muttered, standing at the doorway.

Kanata got to a sitting position hesitantly and then shrugged mildly.

He was still wondering whether he should make her, her favorite chocolate milk when she slowly walked into the room.

"I'm s-scared K-Kanata…"

He didn't know what he was thinking when he invited her to sleep with him. He half hoped she would decline for it was an awkward moment cause neither was fourteen anymore (which had been their age when they last had their sleepover together).

"Thanks," she said, managing a smile as she slowly sat down next to him.

Kanata moved to the other side of the bed in an instant, giving her more space.

She got to a lying position as Kanata asked her, "do you want the lights on?"

She shook her head but didn't make any effort to turn off the bedside lamp which she was facing right now.

Sighing lightly, Kanata leaned over her and turned it off.

In the darkness, everything seemed different. He could hear her soft breathing, her silent sobs and her mild shivers. Wondering what was going through her mind, Kanata slowly shifted to his side so that his shoulder faced hers.

Minutes passed and sleep was finally taking over Kanata. His eyelids began to droop and he was sure he would probably forget that she was sleeping beside him by the time he wakes up tomorrow.

But he hadn't counted on what happened next.

"K-Kanata…"

Her sob pulled him way out of sleep.

"Yea?" he asked, not turning to face her.

He was sure by the small movements he felt on the bed that she had turned to face his shoulder now.

"I'm s-scared…" she said, her voice soft and slow, filled with so much agony that he couldn't bear to stay away from looking at her.

He turned and unwillingly faced her teary face.

"She's going to be fine Miyu," he voiced out what he wanted to be the truth.

Before he could even try to contemplate what was happening, Miyu edged toward him and buried her face into his torso, her trembling hands holding the front of his vest, as her hair spread all over his face.

"M-Miyu…?"

"I'm s-s-s-scared Kanata…" she sobbed, pulling him closer, catching the poor brunet completely off-guard.

Kanata just laid there, his auburn orbs wide as the blonde snuggled even closer to him, so close that he was able to pick up the scent of the dessert that they had made together only a few hours back. Her tears started to wet the front of his T-shirt, but that was the last of his worries.

"I want my grandma…" Miyu's voice sounded muffled but Kanata could feel every move her lips made from the contact that he was having with her.

Kanata closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"K-Kanata…"

Kanata opened his eyes and then did the last thing he wanted to do right now.

"Everything's going to be fine Miyu…" Kanata's soothing voice sounded as he finally wrapped his arms around the sobbing blonde who for a second became paralyzed by his sudden action but started to relax under the tender comfort that he was extending to her.

"Now go to sleep…" he whispered as he held her close, slowly stroked her hair in a comforting manner.

Under Kanata's touch, Miyu slowly began to drift into a slumber.

"Good night Miyu…" Kanata whispered after nearly fifteen minutes after he was sure that she had finally fallen asleep.

"You too Kanata…" he heard her muffled and sleepy voice as she snuggled closer to him like a little girl clinging on to her loving father.

Kanata looked at her peaceful sleeping face and sighed.

After an entire minute of staring into her face, Kanata wiped away the lonesome tear that was present at the edge of her right eye with his thumb.

That night, Kanata fell asleep looking into the sleeping face of his once best friend.

That night, Kanata fell asleep almost peacefully.

**End Chapter 7**

**A/N: **_I know it's been like an entire eternity since I updated anything especially this particular story. Although there is a fat chance that you guys must've forgotten about this one, but please do not be angry… :] I'll try to update faster …_

_And please do review…_

"_**Don't be upset if people preferred someone else rather than you…**_

_**Because it's hard to convince a monkey that **_

_**Strawberries are sweeter than bananas…"**_


	9. The Confession

**My Ex-Best Friend**

"So how is she now?"

Kanata looked down at all the test results that had been conducted on the older Kouzuki. He looked up at the young orthodontist, who also happened to be friends with both him and his patient's granddaughter.

"She's in a state of coma," the brunet said, "Otherwise she is perfectly fine. It was the fall and the hit to the head that had resulted in her brain to paralyze like this".

Nanami Tenchi looked thoughtful for a moment. The two remained in silence for an entire minute. They were both seated at Kanata's small office at the Unmei Hospital, discussing the state of the sick grandma to the one woman who had brought these two together.

"How's Miyu?"

Kanata twirled a pen in his hand, his amber eyes thoughtful.

"She hasn't spoken a word since that night".

Nanami sighed.

"What do we do?"

The brunet walked to the small window and pulling away the screens to let the warm rays of the Sun as it slowly started to wind up for the day behind all the towering buildings and skyscrapers, the young brunet sighed.

He had an idea.

…and he didn't like it.

**Chapter 8**

Miyu Kouzuki lay on her back on that cozy bed in her best friend's apartment. She turned to one side on the bed and gently breathed out and saw the slow wavy movement of the bedspread as it moved along with her breath.

She blinked slowly, her mind blank.

Her blonde hair was everywhere, a total and absolute mess. She looked as though she hadn't been alive for a month and her eyes looked half-dead. The image of her grandma collapsed on the floor with blood everywhere was still etched on her mind.

It had been two days and her grandma was yet to wake up. Kanata said that it's possible that she might have gone into a coma but he also suggested that she might wake up any day.

She sighed and wondered if there was some sort of bad luck that she may be carried around. After all, her grandma was known to be really healthy and really strong. Even her Dad, her grandma's only son, always says that she's the strongest lady that he had ever laid eyes on (closely followed by Miki Kouzuki of course).

Miyu closed her eyes and the image appeared again.

She opened her eyes almost instantly and getting to a sitting position within seconds, started breathing heavily. She did not like this scary feeling. She was scared as hell and she wanted to see her grandma again… at once!

At that exact moment, the doorbell rang.

Miyu hesitated.

It's not that she bothered about the fact that she looked more like a sick person than her unconscious grandma. She was more scared… scared that some incredibly horrible news would come about her grandma.

The doorbell rang again.

Thinking and hoping that maybe it was just Kanata, she slowly walked to the front door.

She grabbed the door knob.

It rang for the third time.

Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and opened the door wide, only to be caught off-guard by one of the warmest hugs she had ever received.

"Miyu!" his warm voice rang in her ear as it oozed with worry and concern, bringing tears to her already damp eyes, "what the hell happened…?"

It took Miyu an entire minute to react but the raven-haired didn't move an inch but still held on to her, ever so tightly as though afraid she might vanish any second now.

Miyu finally found her voice as she cried, "Ran!" and hugged him back, grabbing his shirt and cried as hard as she could, as a result making him hug her even more closely.

"I'm here," he whispered.

~_**My Ex-Best Friend**_~

"Where in hell have you been?" the blonde yelled at the raven-haired, whom only minutes ago she had hugged and held as tight as possible.

"I had already taken a week off from work because I had exams at my university," Ran said, scratching the back of his head, "I got a call today that Mrs. Kouzuki collapsed… went to the hospital… that doctor friends of yours told me you were here…"

The blonde, from her position opposite him on the couch gave him the best glare that she could muster, to which the young lad gave her the most charming smile he could muster.

Obviously, the smile won because within seconds the blonde was one her feet and pulling up Ran to a standing position, hugged him again.

"I missed you," she said, a silent tear rolling down her cheek.

He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her close, her messy hair all over his face.

"I missed you too…"

She withdrew from the hug a little, with her arms still around his neck and facing him now, inches away from face said with the smallest of smiles, "Thanks…"

He chuckled and asked, "For what?"

She hugged him again and this time a little more tightly said in barely a whisper, "for being here…"

He slowly twisted his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He slowly placed his face somewhere over her shoulder and breathed in and whispered, "You are just too damn beautiful…"

She smiled.

"Am still in my PJs…"

He gently placed his lips against her shoulder skin and whispered, "so…?"

Miyu's heart sped as she closed her eyes and let his words sink in.

She wasn't sure but it sure felt like it…

It felt like… she is in love…?

"Miyu…"

His voice sounded like a deep melody that she was addicted to.

"Yea…?" her whisper was like a silent breeze in that empty room.

He hugged her tight as he whispered, "I think I'm in love…"

She smiled.

"Ran… I too…"

"_I know… but it won't work that way for me… I'm sorry…"_

Miyu stopped before she finished that line.

At her continued silence, Ran slowly withdrew from the embrace and looked at her with his eyebrows raised. His twinkling eyes were searching for an answer in her hesitating emerald irises.

"Miyu…?"

But she couldn't bring herself to respond.

So… is she in love…?

Really…?

**End Chapter 8**

**A/N: **_Ah, well I don't have an excuse over here… I just didn't have much time to write a really good chapter. One can easily tell that am losing touch as an author. I don't blame you guys for that. I really am sorry but I will try my best the next time round_

"_**Be what you want to be **_

_**And not what others want to See"**_


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